CRIME CRACKDOWN WORKED

Prison populations are going up. Neighborhood crime is going down. It's a
pretty simple equation. Those hard-liners who took a no-nonsense approach
toward lawbreakers have earned the right to say, "We told you so." But even
if the streets are safer, the incarceration numbers are sobering. In the
past 10 years, the inmate population has increased by 49 percent. The
Justice Department released figures this week that show 1.93 million
Americans are either in jail or prison - an all-time high.

Georgia, unfortunately, has the dubious distinction of having the highest
rates of all; 6.8 percent of the adult population is either incarcerated or
supervised on parole or probation. The South, in general, has markedly
higher incarceration rates than other parts of the country - 26 percent
more than the Northeast.

Only Russia has more prisoners per capita than the United States, but that
can easily mislead. Not jailing criminals doesn't mean a society is free of
crime. And it's important to remember that while prison numbers have risen,
so has the overall population.

This decade has been one of catching up with criminals after decades of
societal leniency and rising crime rates. It's a fact of life in America:
Either criminals roam the streets or they're in jail. For safety's sake,
lock 'em up.